Scroll down for audio.
When Prospect contributing writer Richard Rothstein penned a critical review of Sheryll Cashin's book, Place Not Race: A New Vision of Opportunity in America (Beacon), it touched off a debate between the principals in an exchange of letters on The American Prospect website. Mark Thompson, host of the SiriusXM Progress show, Make It Plain, invited the rivals to take their debate live on the August 5 edition of the program.
In her book, Cashin argues for a new approach to affirmative action in college admissions, one that gives primacy to circumstances other than race, including family wealth, proximity of the family home to high-poverty areas, and other measures of need.
Thompson was joined in moderating the debate by Prospect Senior Editor Adele Stan, who appears on the program on Tuesday nights.
I’m writing to you today with a sense of urgency that I haven’t felt since I began my journalism career. As executive editor of The American Prospect, I’ve witnessed firsthand how independent journalism serves as a crucial bulwark against the erosion of our democratic institutions. Today, that role is more vital than ever. Can you step up today and show your support?
The winds of authoritarianism are blowing stronger. We’re seeing alarming signs of a coordinated effort to silence critical voices and undermine the very foundations that support progressive causes. As Bob Kuttner presciently wrote in our August 2024 issue, a weaponized IRS could attack the very foundations of the progressive movement. We need readers to step up and help us dig in for the long haul.
We’re falling behind in our spring fundraising campaign, and with so much at stake we can’t afford to come up short. If you value fearless, independent journalism that holds the powerful accountable and defends democracy, now is the time to step up. The American Prospect depends on reader support to stay in the fight. Pitch in today and help us close the gap. Please consider making a donation today.
–David Dayen, Executive Editor
